Overseas Chinese expect Spring Festival Gala to bring splendid cultural, artistic feast

Overseas Chinese are welcoming the upcoming Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, with various celebrations and cultural events, eagerly awaiting the annual Spring Festival Gala hosted by China Media Group (CMG) to bring a splendid cultural and artistic feast.

The Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, has been held since 1983 and aired live on Chinese New Year's Eve, which falls on January 28 this year. The television extravaganza has become a fixture for many Chinese households as part of the country's largest annual holiday celebrations.

The Chinese Consulate in Vancouver on Tuesday hosted its annual Spring Festival reception, attended by over 450 guests, including representatives of local Chinese community and Chinese institutions, and students.

Consul General Yang Shu extended New Year greetings to the attendees and the wider community. A promotional video for the Spring Festival Gala was shown at the reception, further heightening anticipation for the event.

Zhang Tingchuan, Secretary General of the British Columbia Branch of the Canada China Chamber of Commerce, shared his sentiments.

"The Spring Festival Gala is a cherished memory for me each New Year. It symbolizes the beginning of the celebrations. As a child, my happiest moments were spent with my family, awaiting the Gala to start," he said.

Chu Yuanzheng, Executive Chairman of the Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations (CACA), echoed this sentiment.

"The Gala deeply moves overseas Chinese communities, especially when the hosts highlight the strength of our homeland. It gives us a sense of empowerment and security while living abroad," said Chu.

As New Year's Eve draws near, overseas Chinese in Brazil, Nicaragua, and Pakistan are also looking forward to watching the Year of the Snake Gala. For those living abroad, watching the Gala has become an essential part of their Spring Festival traditions.

"I am eagerly looking forward to the Spring Festival Gala of the Year of the Snake. I believe this event is significant for the society in Sao Paulo as it introduces them to Chinese culture. This Gala serves as a platform for Brazilians to understand our Chinese culture," said Luo Shihao, President of the Sino-Brazilian Cultural Research Center in Brazil.

Xu Changbao, President of the Nicaragua-China Cultural and Economic Promotion Association, expressed his hopes for this year's Gala.

"I am looking forward to seeing more programs that reflect the lives and emotions of overseas Chinese in this year's Spring Festival Gala. It would be wonderful for us to see ourselves represented in the Gala and feel our homeland's care for us," he said.

Ma Bin, President of the China-Pak Educational Cultural Institute (CPECI), said the Gala serves as a nostalgic connection to home for overseas Chinese, offering insights into their homeland's changes and a platform to extend New Year wishes for peace and prosperity.

"The Spring Festival Gala represents the longing for home for every overseas Chinese. My family gathers around the table to watch it every year, and it helps us understand the changes in our homeland. This year’s promotional video gives off techy vibes, making me very excited. I hope the Gala serves as a platform to send New Year greetings to our fellow citizens, wishing our country peace and prosperity," he said.

Overseas Chinese expect Spring Festival Gala to bring splendid cultural, artistic feast

Film-themed tourist destinations across China saw a surge in visitor numbers during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday, as the traditional festival overlapped with new spring break in several regions, creating a longer travel window and boosting domestic tourism.

The Tangcheng Film and Television Base in Xiangyang City in central China's Hubei Province, laid on extra events to take advantage of the overlapping holidays, resulting in a healthy rise in visitor numbers.

"During this year's Qingming holiday, we received a total of 71,800 visits, up 24 percent year on year compared with 2025. Thanks to the spring break policy this year, our peak tourism season started earlier than before. It also brought in more cross-provincial tourists to our scenic area, and both the visitor volume and the proportion of tourists from other provinces increased," said Wang Liang, general manager of the Tangcheng Film and Television Base.

To entertain the visitors, Tangcheng hosted a series of all-day interactive performances and themed programs, offering tourists an immersive experience built around traditional culture and film production settings.

Similar scenes were reported in east China's Zhejiang Province, where the Hengdian World Studios, one of the largest active film and television studios in the world, also welcomed a wave of tourists.

Family visitors, particularly parents traveling with children, were the main drivers of the tourism boom, according to the scenic area.

"We are here in Hengdian mainly thanks to the spring break. My child has worked hard at school so I think she can take a break here," a tourist said.

Local hospitality business operators in the area also noted visitor flows were significantly higher than in previous years, with family travel rising sharply.

Several provinces across the country introduced their first-ever spring break this year. The break typically lasts two or three days, but falls at different times. In some areas, the break comes just before the three-day Qingming Festival in early April, while in others it extends into the May Day holiday or is combined with weekends, resulting in a break of five to eight days.

The new vacation not only allows children to connect with nature in spring and reduces students' academic burden, but also creates a window for family travel, which is expected to boost tourism and consumption.

Overlapping holidays boost tourism at China's film-themed attractions